Basket ball game



Sept. 8, 1931. A. s. BISHOP BASKET BALL GAME Fi'led Oct. 2. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q Qf WITNESSES LNTOR ATTORNE P A. s. BISHOP 1,821,918 I BASKET BALL GAME Filed Oct. 2. 1929 I 2 Sheets-$118M 2 fire 2 MQW A T TORNEY Patented Sept. 8, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BASKET BALL GAME Application filed October 2, 1929. Serial. No. 396330.

The invention relates to basket-ball game apparatus and has for an object the provision of a novel and interesting game apparatus suitable for home use and on which a basketball game may be played which simulates the conventional game of basket-ball.

Another object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus including a court having a plurality of playing positions from 1 which a ball is shot into baskets by means of impelling mechanism of simple but effective construction. I

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a basket-ball apparatus which can be durabl'y but inexpensively constructed and which is of collapsible construction to facilitate shipment and storage.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more I particularly defined by the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a topplan view of a basket-ball game apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional elevation of one of the ball-impelling devices;

M Fig. 4 is another sectional elevation of the impelling device, and

Fig. 5 is a side view of the apparatus as it appears when in folded condition.

In these drawings, the numerals and 11 designate a pair of floor members which are pivotally connected by depending hinges 12 to an intermediate floor member 18 to form the floor of the court. The floor members 10, 11 and 13 are formed of sheet metal and b are provided with down-turned flanges at their sides and ends to secure rigidity and to facilitate the attachment of other members hereinafter described. The floor members 10 and 11 have a slight downward slope to- 45 ward the intermediate floor member 13.

Upstanding brackets 14 are secured at the outer corners of the floor members 10 and 11. Upstanding end wall members 15 are provided with side flanges 16 which are pivotally 50 connected by bolts 17 at their lower ends to the upstanding brackets 14. The end wall members 15 are held in upright position by hinged braces 18 of a suitable construction which permit the end wall members to be folded to positions closely adjacent the floor members 10 and 11 as indicated in Fig. 5. Leg members 19 are pivotally mounted on the flanged side portions of the leg members 10 and 11 and are held in supporting position by hinged braces 20 of any suitable position which permit the leg members to be folded closely adjacent the under sides of the sheet metal members 10 and 11, as indicated in Fig. 5. The floor members 10 and 11 are also capable of being swung into adjacent parallel position as seen in Fig. 5 and in this position are held in spaced relation by the intermediate floor member 13, thereby afiording room for the collapsible legs 14 and ball-impelling means hereinafter noted.

The opposite side walls of the court are formed by a series of spaced horizontal cords 21 which are secured at their ends to the flanges 16 of the end wall members 15 and are held in spaced relation at intermediate portions by a spacing wire 21. The lowermost cord 20 of each side wall is preferably an elastic cord to form a resilient buffer for the playing ball 22, which is a light hollow ball.

Open bottom baskets 23 of flexible netting are carried on the opposite end wall members 15 and include supporting hoops 24 which are hingedly mounted on lugs 25 struck up from the end wall members to permit the hoops to assume the folded dotted line position seen. in Fig. 2.

The floor members 10 and 11 are each provided with a plurality of sector-shaped openings 2% facing in various directions as seen in Fig. 1, and the floor surface is continued partially beneath each opening by a sheet metal plate 27 which slopes downwardly toward the apex of the opening to form a sector-shaped recess. If desired, the plate 27 may be formed integral with the floor mem her. At each floor opening 26, a U-shaped sheet metal strap 28 has its upper portions secured to the underface of the floor member, and a V-shaped yoke 29 has its upper portions pivotally connected by pivot members 30 to Elli the strap 28. A plunger stem 31 slidably passes through the lower portions of the strap 28 and yoke 29 and carries a dished circular head 32 at its upper end which is preferably cut away at one side as indicated at 33. The lower port-ions of the stem 31 are threaded to receive nuts 34 to which are attached the lower end of a spring 35 having its upper end secured in the t -shaped yoke 29. The spring 35 acts to urge the plunger upwardly and its tension is regulated by adjusting the nuts 3a. The spring also serves to limit the upward movement of the plunger.

The upper dished end of the plunger 31 is adapted to engage the ball 22 and to project it in a curved trajectory into one of the baskets 23. The edge of the plate 27 adjacent the up per dished end of the plunger is preferably provided with a notch 36 into which the ball enters into position to be engaged by the plunger, the plunger being capable of retraction to a position below the ball, as seen in F 3. The plunger is inclined to give. the ball a curved trajectory, and the inclination is adjusted by swinging the yoke 29 on the pivot members 30. This inclination may, if desired, be varied by the player during the use of the game apparatus, but the yoke is preferably fixed in position during manufacture of the apparatus in order to insure a fair degree of accuracy for the impeller formed by the springpressed plunger. 7

The intermediate floor member 13 is pro vided with a circular opening 3'? arranged at the center of the court floor to define a toss-up position for the ball. Sheet metal guide yokes 38 and 39 are attached to the intermediate floor member 13 below the opening 37 and slidably and rotatably receive therein a plunger 40 having a ball-engaging head 11, so shaped as to prevent a true vertical travel of the ball. The outward movement of the plunger is limited by stop nuts 12 carried on the plunger.

There are six plungers carried on each of the floor members 10 and 11 and each repre .sents a playing position. Five of these playing positions on each floor member represent players positions as in the conventional game of basket-ball, while the sixth plunger, which is .ac one nearest the basket, as seen in Fig 1, represents a free throw position.

In use, the game apparatus is set up on a table or other support, the ball is started in play by placing it above the toss-upopening 37, and is thrown therefrom by means of the plunger 40 which is tapped by one of the players or some third person. The ball falls on the court floor and usually rolls into one of the adjacent playing positions, and the player owning that position then has the privilege of shooting the ball toward the corresponding basket or pocket. This is done by retracting the plunger 31 and releasing it on its spring-urged movement. The trajectory of the ball is influenced to some extent by the degree of retraction of the plunger and also by the position of the cut-away portion 33 on the dished head of the plunger. If the ball enters the basket a suitable score is made and the ball is again started in play from the toss-up position. If the basket is missed when the ball is shot from a playingposition, the ball drops to the court floor where it rolls about until is usually enters another playing position. The player owing this playing position then has the privilege of shooting the ball, and the playing thus proceeds for a suitable period of time. The ball is shot from the free throw position upon the occurrence of a foul, which may be thetouching of the ball before it comes to rest on the court. The ball may be also shot from the free throw position any time it enters this position. In the event that the ball does not stop in a playing position in its rolling about the court, it may be played by the player whose playing position the ball last touches. The use of elastic cords at the lower portions of the side walls tends to keep the ball from stopping near the side lines.

During shipment or when not in use, the game apparatus can be compactly folded to the position seen in Fig. 5 in a manner heretofore described, it being only necessary to release the braces of the end Walls and legs and to swing the several parts about their hinged connection.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a game apparatus, the combination of a court fioor havin a recess therein adapted to receive a ball, a spring-urged plunger carried below said recess for projecting said ball, and means for guiding said plunger including a guide member having a pivotal mounting for adjusting the inclination of said plunger and thereby varying the trajectory of said ball.

2. In a game apparatus, the combination of a court floor having a recess therein adapted to receive a ball, a ball-impelling member disposed below said recess and having a ball-engaging surface for lifting said ball and projecting it in a curved trajectory, means for supporting said ball-impelling member, and means for adjusting the angular disposition of said ball-impelling member whereby the ball may be driven in various directions.

3. In a game apparatus, the combination of a court floor having a recess therein adapted to receive a ball, a bracket fixedly carried below said floor, a spring-urged plunger disposed below said recess and slidably mounted in said bracket for impelling said ball, and a guide member having a pivotal mounting on said bracket to depend therefrom and slidably receivin said plunger therein, said guide member being swingable about said bracket for adjusting the inclination of said plunger and thereby varying the trajectory of said ball.

4. In a game apparatus, the combination of an elongated court floor sloping clownwardly from its ends to a transverse medial portion, ball-receiving baskets supported above the opposite end portions of said court floor, there being a plurality of spaced recesses formed in the sloping portions of said court floor to define playing positions, and impelling means disposed below each recess for projecting a ball into one of said baskets, said ball after being projected toward one or the other of said baskets dropping to said floor and rolling along the inclined surface of said floor toward the medal portion thereof for probable entrance into one of said recesses.

5. In a game apparatus, the combination of a court floor having a plurality of ball-1e ceiving recesses to define playing positions, baskets disposed at opposite ends of said court floor and adapted to receive a ball projected from said recesses, impelling means disposed below said recesses for projecting said ball toward one or the other of said baskets, ball-confining means disposed at the central portion of said court floor to define a toss-up position, and a toss-up plunger supported below said ball-confining position for rotation and vertical movement and having a ball-engaging surface to project said ball and to urge said ball laterally on its upward movement.

tel-mediate floor member to adjacent substantially parallel positions with said impelling means disposed between said outer floor memhere.

8. In a game apparatus, the combination of a playing floor having a recess therein and having a ball-receiving station above the recess, a ball-impelling member movable in said recess for projecting said ball in a curved trajectory, and means for movably supporting said ball-impelling member and for adjusting the direction of movement thereof to vary the trajectory of the ball.

9. In a game apparatus, the combination of a playing floor adapted to receive a ball thereon, end wall members disposed adjacent opposite ends of said floor and each having a goal thereadjacent, said end wall members pivotally mounted to said floor to be swung inwardly adjacent said floor from upright positions, and flexible side walls connecting and carried by said end wall members and being tensioned to operative position by the movement of said end wall members to their upright positions.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

ALOIS STANLEY BISHOP.

6. In a game apparatus, the combination 1 of a court floor having a recess therein adapted to receive a ball, a rotatable and axiallymovable plunger disposed below said recess for projecting said ball, means for supporting said plunger, and a dished ball-engaging head carried on said plunger and having a cut-away portion at one side to influence the trajectory of the ball.

7. In a game apparatus, the combination of a pair of outer floor members and a narrow intermediate floor member hingedly connected thereto at their under sides, said floor members forming a court floor at their upper surfaces and said outer floor members having a plurality of spaced ball-receiving recesses defining playing positions, end wall members pivotally mounted at the end portions of said outer floor members, a ball-receiving basket carried on each end wall, ball-impelling means carried below said outer floor members for projecting a ball into one of said baskets, flexible side walls extending between and carried by said end wall mem bers, and releasable brace means for supporting said end wall members in upright position, said end wall members being foldable adjacent the upper surfaces of said outer floor members and said outer floor members being foldable downwardly about said in- 

